Another Jobs Projection

U.S. News & World Report placed "registered nurse" atop its list of "The Best Jobs of 2012" published in February. In the accompanying article, a federal labor department official predicts the field will add more than 700,000 positions during this decade.

That news followed the January release of a report by the Florida Center for Nursing projecting the combination of current vacancies and new positions due to growth would lead to more than 15,000 RN job vacancies this year in the state. "Demand for Nurses in Florida: The 2011 Survey of Florida's Nurse Employers" states more than 9,200 of those vacancies will be in hospitals, with another nearly 4,400 in home health.

"We anticipate the nursing shortage will reemerge as the recession eases, due to older nurses retiring or reducing their working hours, healthcare reform implementation resulting in greater access to care for more people, and the continued aging of Florida's population requiring an ever-increasing demand for nurses," the report states.

The Florida report predicts a need for 50,000 more RNs by 2025. That figure does not include LPNs and NPs, fields the center says will likely see a surge in demand due to healthcare reform along with needs in long-term care and home health.

The report notes despite all the openings, "isolated pockets" of new grads are still experiencing difficulty finding jobs. That's an understatement based on our anecdotal feedback whenever we publish information on the subject.

From here, the RN job market appears to be stuck in first or second gear. Those of you on the front lines: Have these vacancies made the way to your organizations? Are you seeing an uptick in hiring? I'm still waiting for the reality to match the projections.

1 comments

I have been an oncology certified nurse (OCN) for seven years. I moved to Florida last spring hoping to find work. I have been unable to even find volunteer work in nursing. After a career in economics and finance, I graduated with honors from Case Western Reserve University with a BSN. I have over ten years of inpatient and infusion clinic experience.

Where are the jobs? I notice it is usually someone who has a vested interest in attracting people into nursing, e.g., for profit nursing schools, that hype this rosey scenario. When people here that I am an unemployed nurse they assume, and sometimes say, that I must be a criminal or a drug addict if I can't find work. That hurts. I am male and old, something I cannot change.

kenneth nechitilo, Unemployed

March 20, 2012 12:20 AM

NaplesFL

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